


Sunshine and Lemonade

by The_PrincessCat



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, HammerHigh, Hope, Isolation, Learning to hope, Near Death Experiences, World of Darkness, World of Ruin, confused love, mental stress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 22:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29616627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_PrincessCat/pseuds/The_PrincessCat
Summary: Aranea has been tasked with what feels like the impossible; the future of all of Eos rests on her shoulders and the ability to protect just one single soul from the darkness. However, when a routine scouting mission turns for the worse, Aranea finds herself bleeding to death in a daemon infested wilderness. Will she be able to make it to safety? Will she be able to make it back to her one sole duty in the darkness before the innocent life is taken from this world? In between all this stress, is it even possible to find love?
Relationships: Aranea Highwind & Solara Aldercapt, Cindy Aurum/Aranea Highwind
Comments: 5
Kudos: 6
Collections: World of Ruin Big Bang





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for the 2020-21 World of Ruin Big Bang.
> 
> When a routine mission goes wrong, Aranea ends up mortally wounded in the middle of Daemon infested Liede all alone. She manages to make her way to Hammerhead, bleeding out and on death's door. However, when she wakes up, she is greeted with a twangy voiced blonde mechanic who is determined to help her recover. While Cindy has put her foot down on Aranea staying put, Aranea has left something important in the wilds. 
> 
> Years earlier, Aranea escaped with the young heir to the Niflheim Empire. Solara Aldercapt is still young, and Aranea is tasked with keeping her safe until the long night is over. Only then can the world return to some semblance of peace reminiscent of the old world. However, It seems Aranea has lost her. 
> 
> Panic sets in as, still injured, Aranea now must find Solara before any daemons do. She stays long enough to be nursed back to fighting condition before setting out to track down Solara. Word comes that a small girl has recently entered Lestalumn. Aranea sets off immediately. After leaving Hammerhead, Aranea is struck with the sensation that she has forgotten something behind. Has Aranea grown attached to the sunshine mechanic? Aranea must learn that with as dark as the world is, every ray of hope is more powerful than sunshine.

Pain spiked each time she took a step. Firmly, she pressed her hand to her moist abdomen. Each step she took, she lost more blood. There was a red tint to Aranea’s vision, haloing the darkened landscape with a glow. Whether it was from the head wound, pain or the anger that she had let herself get injured this badly, Aranea didn’t know. What she did know was that she was screwed unless she got really lucky. 

The darkness stretched out over the landscape. It shaped and reshaped the land that she had known very well before the sun vanished behind the filth of the miasma. She was somewhere in the desolate Liede wasteland, the forever barren landscape only worse now with the long night. It was only a blessing now that the land before her was flat, barely impeded by rocks or slopes. It made staying away from the Daemons easier.   
  
Aranea was making an effort to remain conscious. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to just close her eyes. She wouldn’t fold to it. She couldn’t fold to it.

There was a thick warm liquid pooling at her gut. Even in the dark, Aranea could tell that her wound was bad, even if not for the pain, from how much blood she was losing. And she was losing it fast.

Aranea took a sharp inhale of breath that almost made her collapse to her knees. The pain was like razors to her lungs. This couldn’t be where it ended. There was still so much to do. 

Aggressively shaking off the pain, Aranea pushed herself forward. The light on her vest flickered, as if it too was powered by her life force. She didn’t need the light to know where she was going. 

It had been a simple reconnaissance mission. Gather food and intel and return to the place she had been staying. She hadn’t expected to be swarmed by Red Giants. She hadn’t expected that once she killed all three Giants that she would have two Mindflayers and a Yojimbo to deal with. And as she had used all her strength to kill that Yojimbo, she had been unable to defend herself from its dying attack. As it dissolved into dripping miasma, Aranea had placed her hand to the wound at her gut. It had wanted her to bleed out, to die here. She wouldn't.

Violently, Aranea felt her legs buckle. She came down on the rocky ground, knees biting into the sharp edges. She hissed, Doubling over herself. Tears came forward, staining her sweaty and dirty face. The tears were equal parts pain and frustration. She grabbed onto the pain, letting herself feel it. It was something she could hold on as the darkness pushed in harder. 

She sat there for a moment, her body complaining about the thought of getting up to move once more. There wasn’t a choice. Aranea had too much left to do. She had made a promise. In fact, she had made many promises. There was no way she was going to not fulfil those promises. 

After a moment, the gurling of materializing daemons at her back, Aranea grit her teeth, baring them like a wild dog. 

“Solara.” The words were pressed like a promise, making Aranea stand. She pulled her polearm from her back, using it as a steadying crutch. “I won’t fail you. I’ll make it back to you.”

Solara was her daughter, or she might as well have been. The young girl was a promise, the bits of hope that she held onto like a lifeline. As people died, friends, acquaintances, enemies alike, Aranea needed that one light. There was, of course, Noctis’s promised return, but after years of this hell, it wasn’t tangible enough anymore. 

Solara was the rightful heir to Niflheim. While she was too young now, when Noctis returned, Aranea would help her rebuild her country. Hell, they would rebuild Eos together as one unified alliance. They would all live together again in the light. That was what Solara represented.

It was silly, this bit of hope. The darkness that had wrapped so tight around Eos tended to smother hope like a flame. Not this. Aranea refused to let the darkness touch her.

Breathing was coming harder now, and thoughts were growing fuzzier. Each step was labored, a colossal task that was more threatening than the last. It was only by luck she hadn’t been attacked. If she died, they would tear her apart. Aranea knew that. At least she would be spared that while she was alive. 

“Light?” The words were rasped out, her throat sounding dry like the long dead grass. The light felt as if a mirage in the darkness. Was it possible this was a figment of her imagination?

Determination kept moving Aranea forward, the light was growing stronger. Brighter. It wasn’t her imagination at all. No. She knew this place.

Her heeled boots came to asphalt, a road underneath the ever dark sky. She knew where sthe was. Hammerhead. 

Without the new Hope, it would have been impossible for Aranead to continue. It was taking strength she wasn’t aware she possessed to keep moving. Agony was each moment she pushed forward, losing blood and pushing herself past the breaking point, but she was so close. 

Aranea let her lance fall to the ground as she reached the fence. She felt her fingers link into the chains as she gasped for breath. “Help.” The words were weak as the chains rattled, taking most of her weight. 

She collapsed, desperately trying to keep pressure on the wound. 

Aranea fell once more, unable to keep herself standing. 

Even with the daemon repelling lights, it was getting dark. Aranea closed her eyes and felt the darkness finally engulf her. 

~~~~

Aranea became aware of herself in stages. There was a dull throbbing in her limbs that confirmed she was whole and alive. There seemed to be no extra wounds or injury outside of what she had sustained in the fight with the daemons. The wound on her stomach felt dry and as if it was closed. With one inhaled breath, Aranea could feel the stitches being tugged at. The stitches themselves felt rough, as if an uncertain hand had been responsible for them. It was better than nothing, though. In this world some medical expertise was better than no medical expertise. 

A second inhale confirmed that her lungs were weak, burning with the large inhale of cool air. She was able to breath though, and that was a good thing. 

Words came to her mind, and she could hear several people talking. Yet, as she struggled to understand, her mind was not yet ready to be awake. 

“She’ll be alright?” A thick twang struck the air as the woman spoke. 

“Alright I can’t claim. She’ll live. Based on all them scars, she’s lived through a lot. Gotta hope she is tough enough to get through this.”

The distinct sound of a belled door opening and closing came to her ears. It gave the distinct impression of a diner or a shop. There was no way that Aranea was inside a diner. None of that information seemed to process. 

The light flickered momentarily through her closed eyes. Was there someone leaning over her? 

Aranea ran through everything that could have brought her here. As her brain began to pick up speed and as her body grew heavier, she stretched her fingers. She was laying on a thin cloth, but underneath it felt of faux leather or vinyl. It was plush, but there were obvious depressions. If Aranea didn’t know better she would have thought she was laying in a booth seat. 

She was not lashed down, not captured but rescued, perhaps? She was wearing thin, loose clothing, different from her normal attire. Still, she needed to get up. Solara was waiting for her. 

With a good deal of effort, Aranea forced her eyes open. Staring down at her were bright blue eyes, a shining smile and vividly blonde hair. For a moment, Aranea wondered if she had actually died. That was before the darkness from the windows came into focus and the slow ‘snow’ of miasma. 

“Where am I?” If breathing had been hard, speaking was worse. Aranea’s voice sounded dry and unused, cracking and scraping with the effort. Her lungs also protested, not agreeing to the controlled explosion of air. 

“Oh, hun. You're in Hammerhead. Lucky thing, too. Don’t think you’da lasted long out there. Almost a miracle you did, though.” It was the same twanging voice that had spoken earlier. Aranea shifted, feeling her body protest, but she couldn’t have cared less. 

“Who are you?” Aranea looked about the room, seeing that she was, in fact, in a diner of sorts. The room at large was round, booths at its edges and larger tables and crates at the center. Before the sun vanished, this place hadn’t been tidy. On the contrary, this place had been a ‘grease’ diner, and cleanliness wasn’t something you expected at a pit stop like this. 

“Name’s Cindy. If I am correct, you are Aranea.” A soft bubblegum chuckle came as Cindy Shifted on the table top she had been sitting on. “Oh, don’t ya worry. Prom talks ‘bout you lots. Says you’re a wicked good fighter and ya saved his life on many an occasion. I know about ya.”

Aranea relaxed, feeling a weight lifting from her. However, the adrenaline that had been keeping the last wave of pain at bay was fading. As she chuckled, she had to grab at her ribs to not cry out. “Oh. Sunflower. Yeah. I did save his life a few times. Good kid.” That is if he had started listening to her advice. 

“Hey, I need to get out of here. I have-” Aranea shifted and had started to shimmy her way from the booth, but a single gloved hand held her in place at the shoulder. 

“ ‘Fraid I can’t let’cha do that, doll. Not in the state you're in. You leave, you're as good as dead.” The smile was soft, compassionate. It was something that, in most, had been lost years ago. The stunning and brutal reality that there was someone in Eos who still held onto genuine happiness? Well, it was simply unheard of. 

Aranea let a slow breath exhale from her lips. “As much as I would love to roll back over and rest, there is something out there that I need to get. It is more important than my own life. If I don’t get back, there is no telling what will happen.”

There was a bit of reluctance to tell the full truth, but Aranea couldn’t let anyone know who she had been keeping from everyone. Not until she was older. Eos had already lost the chosen King. They wouldn’t lose the future hope for peace with Niflheim, too. 

“Now. Just so happens we have a hunter here who specializes in gathering things.” Cindy’s accent clung to the words as they slipped out of her pink lips. “Lemme go grab Dave and you two can chat. But ain’t no way I’m letting you get yourself killed o’re a trinket.”

Cindy left, not letting Aranea argue. A taste of irritation pulsed through her blood as she tried to figure a way out of the situation. Even when Cindy slipped from the diner, there were still others who were busy pouring over maps and sharpening their blades. A few were huddled in a far away booth eating some sort of gray slop. The hunters. The last hope of Eos. 

Returning a short while later, Cindy brought a gruff and weathered man. Dave. Aranea had heard of him through her working with the hunters and the Glaives. She had never met the man, but he did not disappoint. 

Dave was tall, muscles toned and his skin was still tanned from a lifetime in the sun. How much longer would that remain with the sun showing no more sign of returning, just as the anaks and dualhorns? He wore a short sleeved gray shirt covered by a hunters vest. Weapons were strapped onto his legs, and his hands, while currently gloved, were callosed and well used. He was balding, stress and age lines were erupting all over his features, and deep bags were under his eyes. The latter was something everyone had now, but Dave looked even more tired. 

“Cindy says ya have something important out there?” Dave’s voice was gruff, matching his exterior, perfectly. 

“Yeah. I think it would be best if I retrieve it myself, though.” Aranea shifted, suppressing the wince against the pain. “No offense to you Dave. It is too important to not personally retrieve it.” 

Dave laced his fingers together on top of the smooth diner table. He was silent for a moment, blue eyes analyzing her as if the answers were written on her features more than her words. “A week. We’ll take ya out in no less than seven days. Can your precious package wait til then? And ya ain’t going by yourself. No. We do this properly, Ms. Highwind.” 

Aranea ground her teeth together, seeing how in the state she was in there was no way she was going to break out or overpower anyone. 

“You got yourself a deal.” Solara would be fine for a few more days, so long as she followed all of Aranea’s instructions like they’d practiced. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aranea is forced to relax and every second is grueling. 
> 
> Well. Not every second. The moments Cindy is around aren't so bad. Aranea finds, in her company, she is able to relax even when the world lay in ruins around them.

Aranea never realized how boring the world was when there wasn’t a mission; a next objective. It had been years since Aranea had had leisure time. It had been before the long night, before she had started working for Besithia, even before the war had torn her from her home. Aranea wasn’t built to relax. On the contrary, despite the fact that her limbs ached and her lungs burned with the fresh air Aranea wished for nothing more than to be moving again. 

Aranea had gotten to her feet as soon as she had been able. Wobbly from her injuries, she had taken her lance as a walking stick and started making laps around Hammerhead. 

The area had been blocked off with two layers of fencing and several large daemon repelling lights. A small group of hunters were stationed here along with the owner of the diner, Takka, and Cindy and Cid. Cid was old, and rarely left the garage where he had worked for so long. Cindy, on the other hand, seemed to have a plethora of free time. She had made it her personal priority to make sure that Aranea didn’t overwork herself. 

While having a cute blonde shadow was endearing at first, after a few days, Aranea was simply feeling put out and caged. The area of Hammerhead was so small, and just on the edges of the light, Aranea could see the daemons prowling. She felt like the little blip in the darkness was putting them on display, an animal dancing behind glass for their amusement. 

Aranea much preferred being on the other side of the protection. Up until her last ‘accident’, she’d been perfectly capable of taking care of herself. It was frustrating, and yet, as infuriating as it was, she knew the people around her were keeping her safe. At least for now. 

“You know,” Cindy spoke as they made their way behind the garage. “Ain’t sure this is the best a’ ways to get better.”

Aranea chuckled, peeling her eyes from the barren wasteland. She looked at Cindy, wearing shorts way too short while her jacket was tugged closer to her body. She was fit, needing to be able to lift, haul and build machinery. With her narrow waist and full hips, Aranea couldn’t deny she was rather attractive. 

“I think it’s the best way to get better. If my muscles heal taut, it will take longer. If it was up to me,” Aranea looked over her shoulder towards Takka’s. “I would be training, too.”

“Well, it's a good thing it ain’t up to you.” Cindy hummed, a fresh smile on her lips. 

They continued walking around the perimeter. The guards on duty nodded as they passed, guns held slack in their hands or slung over their backs. From what Cindy had said on Aranea’s first day here, Hammerhead hadn’t been attacked by daemons for almost four years. It had been only a couple months after the complete fall of night. Several hunters had died, and Cindy had suffered an injury. The long scar from her knee down her calf was the last remaining tell of the attack. 

“You know what I miss?” Cindy finally spoke after they had walked around a few more times. 

“Hmm?” Aranea shook her head, having been lost in some deep thought. There were many things that Aranea missed, and not all of them involved the darkness being here.“No. What do you miss?”

“Sitting here with Paw Paw drinking homemade iced lemonade.” Cindy shifted, lifting her hands to the sky. She stretched her fingers wide, as if she was going to wipe away the miasma, hands moving outward as a wide smile painted itself upon her lips. “The sun beatin’ down on the both a’ us. The heat, and getting to fix ol’ cars. Ya know, like the kind the prince use’ta have. Thems were good times.” 

Cindy’s eyes went wide and as she let her arms fall back to her sides and she looked back at Aranea. Aranea hadn’t realized that she had just been staring at Cindy, her lips curling upwards in a smile. A soft red tinge rose up the soft cheeks, and Cindy looked abashed for a moment. 

“I just,” An arm crossed over her body, fingers wrapping around her arm as she shifted slightly. “If I think about it hard enough, I can- well, I can feel the sun and taste the lemons.”

“I know you’ll be able to enjoy those things again.” The words came out before Aranea knew what she was saying. Of course she believed that Noctis was going to return. Of course she believed that the sun would come back. But in all this, there was no guarantee who was going to make it to that time. There was so much more likely a promise of a painful death, dying alone and wondering about so many things that could have been. 

Aranea wasn’t afraid of dying. She had seen so much death in her time. Even the deaths of others didn’t faze her. Perhaps it should. What Aranea was afraid of was having people die and there being nothing she could do about it. 

“Thank you.” Cindy smiled softly again, wiping a lone tear from the corner of her eye. “You, uh, got somethin’ that keeps you going? Someone as determined as you gots to have something that pushes ya.”

“Well,” Aranea felt her fingers tighten on the cold metal shaft of her lance. Her first thoughts went to Solara. Solara was her Hope, and the reason she kept going. Before that? She had her reasons, changing and developing over the years. She was a free spirit, a ‘lone wolf’ as they called it. “I have someone who I know will change the world. I have to keep going to give Eos the chance it deserves.”

They started walking then, silence spreading between them. It was more often than not that they walked in silence, but this stretch felt different. There was an electric, almost alive feeling to the silence. As soon as they were out of earshot of the guards, Cindy spoke again. 

“This someone’s out there, ain’t they?” Cindy turned, looking at the other woman. It was amazing the way she could look with real emotions. It made something stir deep inside Aranea, something stirring that she hadn’t thought was still alive. Not after she had buried it. 

“Yeah. They are.” Aranea confirmed without a moment's hesitation. She didn’t have to know who, just that someone was out there. 

“Well. I know you’ll find them.” There was a hesitation in the smile, a slightly less pure emotion that Aranea couldn’t pinpoint. 

“Thank you.”

~~~~

The rest of the week went by without incident. It became easier to move around, and if it wasn’t for the looming presence of Solara waiting for her, it was almost enjoyable. The pretend domestic life she was having, it was a dream in the midst of a nightmare. 

Finally, the morning came when Dave gathered the troop of hunters and they headed out to the place Aranea mentioned. She had Solara holed up in one of the old Niflheim strongholds that the Glaives had not been able to fully secure. It was a small barracks in the main compound, but it was safe and secure. No Daemons could get in with the strategic daemon repelling lighting that Aranea had installed. 

The drive took forever. Dave was at the wheel and the team of four sat around her in the bed of the truck. No one spoke. While in the safety of Hammerhead, guns and knives were held loosely in fingers, now, knuckles turned white and heads were on constant swivel. 

Hours ticked on as the truck road through the countryside and finally they came to Formouth Garrison. The tall walls loomed ominously over them and the sound of daemons was thick. It was another day in the World of Ruin and they were just passing by. 

Aranea was the first to jump from the truck and the stitches holding her together pulled tight with the force. Aranea just pushed on, not waiting for the others to follow behind. She crouched low as she pushed through a small door on the side of the wall that would give them immediate access to the large courtyard. 

Everything seemed undisturbed. The daemons had a way of carrying themselves that made them creatures of habit. The same yojimbo paced in the center of the yard, his hand loosely gripping the sword at his side; the same group of imps were playing, for lack of a better word, at the corner of the compound closest to them; a gaggle of hobgoblins threw their fists into the earth just further away. 

It felt like home, not the threat the others had over the presence of so many daemons in one place. Aranea held her hand up, drawing the attention to her. With one gesture to the left, she began to move, darting behind the large barrels and equipment she had long ago stripped for their parts. The hunters followed her silently. It was obvious that they had questions but none dared to ask them in the danger they all felt. 

There was a door straight ahead, with no way to hide to get there. That was their goal and Aranea would reach it. Whether the others were quick enough to avoid the black flan, was another. Aranea had requested to go alone. 

Dave fell in line with her, his old, worn, but strong, hands gripping her shoulder. “On your word.”

Aranea nodded, and watched as the flan made the same, predictable, path away from the door. She counted in her head, waiting for the pivotal moment it would round the corner.  _ Three. Two. One. _

Aranea signaled at the same moment her body reacted. She moved, knowing she didn’t have time to look and see the others following. Her hesitance would cost them all their lives. They had to trust her. 

Her fingers wrapped around the handle of the door, and it flung open. In the span of three heart beats, most of the company filed through the door after her. However, the door slammed shut just as a scream pierced through the darkness and shattered everything. 

The hunters were breathing hard, Dave most of all. It had been one of their own. “Did he look back?” Aranea asked, looking in the pitch black, straining for the expressions on their faces. 

When no one answered, Aranea simply shook her head and pressed on. She didn’t have time for any of it. 

Two turns down the hallway, and Aranea knew something was wrong. It was silent and there was no indication of light anywhere to be seen. 

Aranea moved faster than she thought was possible, her heart hammering against its cage. Solara was the only thought on her mind. The young girl's safety was paramount. She was supposed to stay put. She was not supposed to leave. So if she had, something must have happened. 

Two lefts and a right and Aranea burst into the room that they had been sharing together for months, if not years. It was well lived in and the signs of life were prominent. However, what was not present was Solara nor the daemon repelling lights. 

Aranea fell to her knees, her eye and hands searching for the telltale signs of change: a pile of clothing, a smearing of miasma. Nothing. The hip lights from the Hunters filled the room, and Aranea knew Solara had left. Something had happened and now she could be anywhere. 

Balling her fists against the blankets they slept in, Aranea let out a low and loud scream. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy my fic. The art was done by
> 
> [SugarCube206](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/sugarcube206)
> 
> or you can find them on Ao3. 
> 
> I appreciate all kudos and respond to all comments!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tracks in the darkness lead away from the old Niff fort that Aranea and Solara had called home for so long. However, Aranea is finding it more difficult than she should to keep pace with the much smaller and more nimble Solara. But tracks mean the girl is still alive, and in the darkness, any indication of hope is a thread to hold dearly.

Aranea had let them dismantle her set up. She personally took to packing all the supplies and things that were hers and Solara’s. The whole while, she did not speak, did not explain why they were here to the others. Dave seemed to know and kept the others away while they worked. And they worked quickly with the threat literally on their doorstep.

The generator was taken from the room, the daemon repelling lights pulled from their sockets. Scrap metal and Niflheim technology retrieved and shoved into the already tight ride that they were taking back to Hammerhead. The months worth of rations that Aranea had, she couldn’t have cared about any longer with Solara on the loose. Her mind was already on a plan. 

“I’m not going back with you.” Aranea said definitively as she secured the single pack onto her back. “I haven’t gotten what I came for.”

“Are you mad?” Dave looked nervously over his shoulder at the compound filled to the teeth with daemons. 

“I’ve been called worse.” Aranea turned her back to them and looked into the wild lands she knew very well. “I need to find what I have lost. At any cost.”

Dave cursed under his breath as he retrieved a small transponder from his pocket. It was small and metal and didn’t look like it would work if you dropped it. Still, he moved up to Aranea and shoved it into the palm of her hand. She was surprised by the weight, and closed her fingers around it. 

“I ain’t gonna stop you. I know your type. I know I pushed my luck as is. You’re gonna do what you think ya need to.” Dave raised his hand to halt Aranea from speaking. “But that’ll keep ya in the loop. Ya need help, we hear intel, anything. We communicate on those. They’re useful. Keep it and try not to get killed. I think Cindy took a fancy to ya and I would do anything to not see her little heart broken.” 

Dave turned and climbed into the truck. “Don’t die, or I’ll have to kill you myself.”

Before Aranea could respond, the truck was tearing into the darkness, daemon repelling lights leading the way. 

“What the hell does that mean?” Aranea shook her head and started walking. 

It was more obvious now that she wasn’t around others just how much she still hurt. Leaving on her own had been stupid, but there was no turning back now. Aranea needed to find any trace of Solara. It was the only thing that mattered. Pain. Death. Nothing but Solara’s survival. 

The exterior of the compound showed no signs of human activity, at least not on the first pass. Slowly, and more meticulously, Aranea made her way around the high concrete walls. It was tricky, paying equal parts attention to the ground to the threats that filled the wildlands of Lucis. 

It was there, in the underbrush, that Aranea found small footprints in the soft earth. They were covered up in a hurry, and Aranea kicked herself for not noticing them earlier. Her tracking skills did not match up to Gladiolus’s famed skills, but they were good enough. Solara would have fooled most. She had almost fooled Aranea.

It felt like hours, slowly following the small hints in the earth while avoiding the daemons that prowled the lands. Aranea knew she needed to be quick, but she was also aware that she would not survive a full fledged battle against the stronger and more ruthless daemons. It was tactical, and every moment her nerves were spiked with anticipation. 

Solara had learned from her, and that meant that she would know how to move through the wasteland. The one issue was that Solara was smaller and could move much quicker without detection. Aranea also had no idea when the girl would have left the safety of their compound. It seemed nonsensical to her, and once she found Solara ... She was going to find Solara ... they were going to have a long conversation. 

It wasn’t until Aranea felt her limbs grow numb and body ache with pain did she find the tracks came to a halt. It was one of the major dirt roads used by the locals of the area. Two dirt roads, crossing in the middle of nowhere. On one side of the road were Solara’s foot prints, on the other there was no trace. 

  
  


"Fuck!" The curse was bit back, muffled by Aranea's survival instincts. She was still in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the darkness with not a friendly soul for miles in any direction. Wherever those tire tracks were headed was where Solara was headed. Friend or foe, Aranea was going to find out.

~~~~

It wasn’t preferable to make camp in the open. Caves and crevices in the ground were the most optimal or even one of the fading campsites secured by the Oracles’ magic. Sometimes, that wasn’t an option. When in need, Aranea found that an old abandoned car or house could do. Before the world ended there were plenty of places that had been entirely abandoned as they were. 

It was on a night (day?) like any other when the small transceiver that Aranea had completely forgotten about buzzed. She was tucked into the back seat of an old, run down sedan. The once plush seat was less moth eaten, less destroyed than most of the other cars had been when the curtain of miasma pulled tight over the sky. 

"Aranea.'' The voice was quiet and distorted from static. Aranea immediately felt her heart beat in her chest; the fast pittering of alert thrumming through her veins. The restless sleep she had been attempting was now on full alert, limbs shaking with unawareness.

It took Aranea a moment before she realized where the voice was coming from and why it had called her name. "You with me, kid?"

"Never call me that." Aranea frowned at the walkie as she depressed the side button. 

"Fine." Dave’s voice crackled, and then there was silence for what felt like an eternity.

"You wanted to tell me something? " Aranea had little patience for pleasantries when her life was at stake every second she was not fully on guard. 

"Yeah." The static cut through as Aranea counted the seconds. "I did."

" _ Spit it out _ !" Aranea hissed but not for Dave to hear. 

"There has been a report of a young girl entering-" static cut through the sentence as a hard, steady beat filled Aranea’s ears. 

"Repeat. Dave. Repeat." Aranea felt the tension build. Everything hinged on Dave's next words. 

"A young gi-" the static rippled and Aranea pressed herself closer to the speaker, willing for the last of the sentence to come through. "Lestallum."

Aranea felt herself smirk as the transceiver found it's way back into her pocket. 

"You crafty girl. " Aranea laughed as she closed her eyes. Listening. Waiting. 

~~~~

_ Aranea shielded her eyes to the bright light shining in the sky. The sun? There was a thick laugh echoing all around her as she tried to orient herself. The distinctive clinking of ice in a crystal glass came to her ears. While her eyes were failing her, she could smell something sweet, acidic and tart. Lemonade?  _

Aranea sat up with a start, causing her head to collide with the inside of the truck she had found refuge in. She was slipping from the short power naps she was taking and she knew it, but there was little she could do. Without a safe place to sleep she had to get what she could. 

The memory of the warmth and the sun from her dream felt fresh on her skin. Even as the cold prickled from the world of darkness, her skin rose to meet its familiar embrace, Aranea could feel the warmth of the sun. She could taste the mouth puckering cool drink on her tongue. She could see the smile her dream had hidden from her. The dream slowly slipped back as the darkness greeted her.

Determination pushed Aranea up, her fingers wrapping tight around her lance as she slipped from the truck. The noise of defeat cried out, a single rusted creak which made Aranea pause only momentarily. When nothing rushed her, she moved. If nothing was coming right away, it would soon. Noise and the scent of a warm body drew daemons like a moth to the flame.

She was near Lestallum after weeks of traveling on foot. The outline of the city, a halo of light surrounding the tall buildings over the crack the gods made in the ground. This site was a beacon of hope for most who wandered the wasteland. A place where no daemon could enter, where all bad things could not dwell. Perhaps that is why Solara had made her way to it after she had been gone for so long. 

The crag was still between her and Solara, yet there was hope in her step. Maybe her dream had softened her edge or perhaps it was Solara being so close. Either way, there was no time to dawdle. 

There was a small area between the dead forest and the Taelpar Crag that the Daemons seemed to avoid. Perhaps it was the myth that something dangerous lived deep in the darkness, or maybe it was the fact that one wrong move would send you down into the pitch black and a long fall. Aranea was taking full advantage of the fact that not a single daemon was in her path as she moved parallel with the city. 

Aranea knew that she had been walking for hours but it felt like days. Her body was still tender from her near death experience. Her mind was strained from the isolation and the edge she felt every moment she was exposed. The bag on her back had grown heavy, the same exhaustion that plagued her body had made her pack feel more and more a burden as the days had grown longer. After Ardyn’s betrayal, she had refused to use his armiger. 

So each step towards the only bridge over the Crag dragged on. One foot in front of the next. 

It was getting warmer, and Aranea could feel it pulling her down. It felt nice, comforting. Her feet felt like lead and for the first time in weeks, there was no pain in her stomach. 

Even as she felt the ground kissing her knees, Aranea couldn’t feel the pain she knew should be there. As every ounce of her survival instincts cried out to her to stand and push on, something told her that everything was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> I appreciate all kudos and respond to all comments!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old (well, not that old) injuries act up and Aranea is at risk once more. It is thanks to an old friend that she is once more saved. 
> 
> Ignis in all his blind wisdom forces Aranea to rest, vowing that they would follow where Solara had headed after she departed Lestalum. Without a destination and in relative safety, Aranea finds her mind wondering to Sunshine and Lemonade.

_ “Ya know you ain’t gonna find that girl if ya don’t get yer butt up ta find her.” _

Aranea’s body felt heavy, and her mind was grasping to find grounding. 

_ “Soon as ya find her-” _ That twanging voice sounded so familiar, but Aranea couldn’t place it.  _ “We can have that lemonade paw paw made.” _

“Aranea?”

“Cindy?” Aranea threw herself from the bed she was placed in, fingers white against the sheets as her eyes scanned the room. It was dark, but she was used to it. There were curtains pulled tight over the windows, but Aranea could see the bright white lights attempting to breach the room, even still. The room held almost nothing. Three beds besides the one she was sleeping on, and a trunk at the foot of each. 

The smell came to her before she noticed the man sitting on the edge of her bed. It was familiar, warm and floral. “Ignis?”

The blind man’s mouth drew taut in a part smile as he ‘looked’ at her. Even in the dark, the visor over his once vivid green eyes was off putting. She had heard of the scars that marred the young, smooth and handsome face. Aranea knew he would not pull that visor off in front of her, not that she wanted to see more of the fresh, hot red scarring that trickled onto his cheek. 

“Aranea.” There was no doubt that the rich, accented voice belonged to the King’s advisor. But what she was doing in his bed was beyond her. 

“What am I doing here?” It was blunt, and as she became more aware of herself, she noticed she was not in her regular garments and the bandages around her torso had been changed. 

“That is a nasty wound you are nursing.” Ignis spoke, but didn’t move. It was almost unnerving. Almost. 

“Who-” 

“Iris changed you and cleaned the wound. You really should take better care of yourself. What would Solara say?” Ignis’s eyebrow rose as if he could see the exasperation on her face. It was impossible. He was blind. Wasn’t he?

“Does that mean I am in Lestallum?” Aranea felt her heart beat, her voice lilting with excitement. She shifted, feeling the tight skin around the wound pull. 

“Yes.” Ignis’s hand landed on her shoulder. He was strong and keeping her from moving from the bed. 

“I need to find her. You have no idea what she is.  _ Who _ she is.” Aranea moved her arm across her body, pulling Ignis’s hand from her. 

“I think you might find I know more than you think.” Ignis let his hand fall idle, the strained smile now gone. “Solara left the city for Hammerhead almost two days ago.”

Aranea felt that same pit dropping in her gut that she had the last time she had missed Solara. Her fists balled in the covers and a hot rage spilled from the corners of her eyes. “Two days ago.” 

It wasn’t a question, and still Ignis hummed his confirmation. His blindness hadn’t changed how polite he was, letting Aranea have her moment of frustration without interruption. 

“I must follow after her.” Aranea shifted to move from the bed, Ignis once again stopping her. 

“I have called ahead. Cindy will meet her and protect her until your arrival.” 

Aranea felt something funny happen in her chest at the mention of the name. It was similar to the feeling in her gut about Solara being left without her, except different. It was a fluttering, and a pulling. It was ...something she hadn’t felt in years. Not to this extreme. 

She saw Cindy, standing in an unruined Hammerhead. A warm smile across her lips as she held two glasses filled with liquid sunshine. The sweet scent of sweat and sharp scent of hot asphalt mingled with the biting fresh squeezed lemon scent. A promise of life after the Darkness. 

“When is the next envoy leaving?” Aranea looked to Ignis, determination on her face. 

“Four Days-” Ignis raised his hand as Aranea opened her mouth to protest. “During which you will rest and mend. You are of good to no one in this state. Solara included. You are too important to kill yourself over this. 

**“And** ” Ignis cleared his throat as Aranea had intended to interrupt yet again. “I will hear none of it. Solara is in good hands. I promise no harm shall come of her. She is more capable than you think.”

“Fine.” Aranea shifted back on the bed, forcing herself into some semblance of relaxation. This was not going to be easy. 

“Don’t worry.” Ignis said, sitting up and looking towards the drapes that were pulled tight over the artificial Lestallum lighting. “You won’t be all locked up in bed the whole time. Promise.” 

~~~~

Ignis had kept to his word, keeping Aranea company though the passing hours. He had retained all of his cooking ability, even refusing Aranea’s help to cook when the time came. The first day was very quiet, Aranea reading on the couch and Ignis keeping to the task of cooking and cleaning. It was  _ almost  _ domestic. Yet Aranea was not the domestic type. 

They went out for walks multiple times, realistically any time that Aranea felt antsy in her own skin. Walking was becoming easier, but the restlessness in her soul remained. Instead, she tried to focus on how the city had changed. From almost any vantage, you could see the large double gates and daemon repelling lights staged all about the city. 

Aranea remembered this city well; remembered how cheerful everyone was and the parties the women of Lestallum hosted. They were strong and independent women, and she had felt at home here. 

Now, it was as if a heavy cloth had been placed over the whole city. The constant night smothered all happiness and strength in those who had been so strong before. No one walked the streets with a straight back, hopelessness crushing them, pulling them into their sorrow. Families held close and children looked wide eyed at the newcomer and into the unknown darkness outside their walls. 

Skin was pale, untouched by the sun for years and it made everyone seem sick. Clothing was tattered and worn, old and patched from overuse. The sight of the few who had survived the darkness was heartbreaking. She could taste the question of ‘when’ on everyone’s mind.

The second day was a bit more hectic when both Gladio and Prompto returned home after one of their missions. The peace that Ignis had obtained in the apartment was disrupted by the noise of the two men. Aranea could feel a warmth being surrounded by familiar welcoming bodies; the Amicitia boy, who had always been a firm sou,l seemed almost shocked at Aranea’s presence; Prompto was unsurprisingly a little more skittish. A lot had changed since the last time she had seen them, but the King’s companions treated her like a long lost sister. It was foreign, but she was in no state to object. 

It was that day, too that the doctor also arrived to check up on Aranea. 

“Shall we go somewhere more private?” He had suggested, leading the way into the shared bedroom. Aranea was in no position to object, so she followed. Albeit slower than she would have liked. 

It was then that she removed her shirt, a baggy and faded black t-shirt that more than likely belonged to Gladio, to reveal the wound beneath. The bandages were clean, almost white even. She had known that Iris had changed them, but she had not seen the girl to express her thanks. According to Ignis, her and Talcott were both on a mission of their own.

There was no staining on the bandages as he unwrapped them from her torso, slowly and with experienced fingers. It was not a surprise to see the roughly patched stitches in her gut from someone in Hammerhead. She had seen them before. It was a surprise to see the skin was no longer red and inflamed. 

“Ah,” The old man shifted the spectacles on his face as a small grin curled the edges of his lips. “Good things still do happen in the darkest of times.” 

Aranea looked towards the window, her thoughts suddenly distracted once more. Was she allowed to have good things happen to her? From as young as she could remember, it was always bad. This darkness wasn’t new to her, it was this otherness, this hope that was new. And Cindy seemed to be at the center of this new otherness. 

“Well.” The doctor stood, a smile on the weather worn and wrinkled features. “I believe if you continue resting, you should be at full capacity soon.” 

He started towards the door, but not before he stopped, turning back to Aranea. “Thank you. Risking yourself for others. It is brave of you. Maybe this King of Light will have something to save.” 

The door opened and closed, leaving Aranea in the flickering light of the room. “That really is all I could hope for.”

~~~~

Time keeping in perpetual darkness was unbelievably unreliable. Keeping watches and clocks in tune with a global time proved tricky but not impossible. Four days passed in long, grueling moments. The last of her time with the King’s men, however, made it go by easier. 

Prompto seemed to enjoy the new company. After she had saved his life, Aranea was something of a hero to the blonde haired man. He told her stories, the fee of which were her own stories. The fights in the darkness and those they had saved. The stories were relatively the same, but the exchange helped the blonde’s spirits rise. Prompto always did better in high spirits.

Gladio was much his silent stoic self. Aranea could feel the weight of the darkness on him, the fact that he had lost parts of himself to the darkness that were likely to never return. The dread and the feeling that he had failed his job. Without a King what good is a Shield?

Aranea had known when it happened what these three would go through at the loss of Noctis. Yet, they went through it for him and for the whole of Eos. If those who remained were wrapped in desperation and unknown, these three felt it tenfold. It was their job to save humanity, keep the hope for their King. It was too much for any one man to bear. Yet, they bore it together as best they could.

The morning they were to depart, the three boys decided they would head to Hammerhead with Aranea, even against Aranea’s request. 

“It has been quite the time since we have checked in personally with Dave and that outpost. I believe we are long overdue for a visit.” Ignis’s words put to rest any other complaints Aranea could think of. After all, if Noctis was to return, it was likely that Hammerhead would be the one of the first places he would be seen. 

The caravan of Hunters packed into the truck, supplies to the outpost in back where Aranea and the others chose to ride. The open air as they went through the security check points of Lestallum felt wonderful, even more so when they hit the open road. 

The journey was made in silence, the tension as soon as they left the protection of the safe zone was instant. Fingers itched to grab their weapons, ready for a fight that was moments away at every second. 

This was familiar to Aranea. The tension, the state of high alert. She knew what to expect, and that was everything. An imp who wanted to play, not afraid to die. A yojimbo willing to risk the daemon repelling lights to kill even one human. Ever still, the car could die dead in the water. Then, it was open warfare. 

Hours they sat in silence; the slow drive to Hammerhead dragging out under the starless darkness. Nothing went wrong, and before they knew it, a blinding beacon in the darkness summoned them; drawing them in. They would have no escape if they were endlessly swarmed by the army of the night.

Yet, as the car puttered on, and the cracked and unmaintained road rolled under their wheels, nothing unusual happened. A daemon dared too close, only to fall back hissing at the lights or an iron giant kept pace for a minute behind them before losing interest. 

It was at the halo of light in the distance that everything changed. The site of the light in the darkness stirred feelings inside Aranea once more. Something that she was not accustomed to. This hope. This wanting. All for a bright blonde haired girl who offered her kindness. She was also protecting Solara. The Hope of the new world, yet to come. This was the place of Aranea’s two desires, and suddenly the danger of the world melted away. 

Hammerhead’s gates were older than the ones at Lestallum. The creaking and scraping of the metal gate on concrete sent a chill down her spine as the convoy of five vehicles entered the safe haven. It was almost as if a weight was lifted off the men in the vehicles, the lights presence creating security. 

Aranea was the first from the cars, even before they had come to a complete stop. Her heart was hammering in her chest, eyes wide and open for the two faces that had taken over the majority of her mind and her worry. 

It was Solara that she found first. Standing with her arms behind her back, and shifting slightly so her dress swayed. She was exactly how she had remembered her. She was not dirty, likely given a bath at either of the two outposts she had visited. She was not injured, no bumps or bruising that would cause undue worry. 

Aranea ran to her, kneeling before her and grabbing her face between her hands. “Little girl. You know how badly I worry for you.” 

There was a soft chuckle that pressed from small lips as their foreheads connected. “I’m not a little girl. I can also take care of myself.”

“You know,” The sound was sweet, with a twang that made Aranea’s heart skip a beat. “She ain’t wrong. I ain’t never seen a kid who was as tough as her.”

Aranea couldn’t help but smile, the corners of her lips curling only slightly. Solara raised one eyebrow as Aranea stood. She turned, seeing the woman who had been stuck in the back of her every thought since she had left. 

“She was raised to be tough as nails.” The smile didn’t fade as the distance between them decreased. “She has had to. As we all have.” 

They stood staring at each other for a while, no one saying a word, the soft crackling of the air, the humming of the generator, the low murmuring of the other hunters in the background; it all filled the space that separated them. 

“You’re healing up real nice?” Cindy broke the silence taking one step closer. 

“Yeah.” Aranea shifted only slightly on her feet as she felt Solara watching them both from behind her. “Thanks to you.” 

“Couldn’t be happier ta be here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter to go! It was very interesting to write this story as Aranea spends most of it alone so very little dialogue. I am really hoping you are enjoying it as much as I did when I was writing it! 
> 
> Thank you so much for getting this far into my fiction! I appreciate all kudos and respond to all comments!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything in the Darkness is not forever. While everything should be settling down, Aranea needs to protect what is hers and in a world of forever darkness, that could take a life to do it.

Everything seemed unreal now that Solara was back and everyone was safe. It felt false, and even though Aranea knew better, the feeling that Hammerhead would now fall and everyone would be scattered, injured or killed grew. It was like an infection, taking over her mind and body and making her restless.

“Once.” Cindy admitted bashfully when Aranea asked if the perimeter had ever been breached. “But it was much earlier, years ago.” 

While that should have made Aranea feel better, it only made the pit in her stomach harden, more. Her feet were always in motion and her sleep was sparse, as it was when she was out in the wilds. She was the only protection between Solara and the darkness

“I should find more ways to protect us.”

“You should take some ‘a Dave’s best. We’re always looking ta be safer.”

But in the end Aranea knew most of this area had been picked dry, either from the hunters, the Glaives or by Solara and herself. Perhaps if they went into Insomnia? As she grew stronger, she knew this would only be possible with the right group of people. Three others solely qualified for the job.

Gladio, Ignis and Prompto only stayed a week. There was a lot that they had been personally tasked with as the King's Men. After Hammerhead had been inspected, they departed for Galdin Quay; the last outpost in the wilderness overlooking Angelgard.

If it was possible, the restlessness that had seeped in began to grow. The infection taking root in her feet and moving upwards into her legs, arms and mind. Without Gladio’s snarky wit or Prompto's desperate attempts to lighten the mood, even Ignis’s calming presence in the darkness, Aranea felt as if she had suddenly become useless. Since Noctis’s disappearance, her only job had been to protect Solara. Now, they were safe and there were only so many times she could check the perimeter. 

Solara seemed to have taken a liking to the compound, which was the only thing that tied them there. Between her training, for which Cid had allowed them use of the garage, and the daily care of the camp and people within, Aranea had noticed Solara spending a lot of time with Cindy when she wasn’t available. 

It was on such an occasion where Aranea, after taking a patrol in the wastelands closer to Insomnia, caught the two of them deep in a conversation. 

“Do you remember anythin’ a the sun?” It was the thick twang that Aranea had come to love. 

“No.” Solara shook her head, looking sullenly into her hands. “Aranea says it's because even before the night took everything, Gralea was in darkness.”

There was silence for a moment where Aranea watched the two of them sitting on the bench facing the wasteland. Cindy was sitting very close to Solara, her hands folded in her lap, while Solara’s little legs swung slowly, not reaching the ground. She was so young, with such a big future ahead of her. Yet, she approached everything with such bravery. 

“Soon.” Cindy spoke suddenly, her head snapping up and looking from ground to sky. “You can see how pretty she is. The sun.”

Aranea let out a slow breath as the corner of her mouth curled. Even though dispair and darkness had seeped into every corner of the known world, it was amazing how much hope Cindy still clung to. Perhaps that was the reason Aranea couldn’t get the blonde out of her mind. 

“How do you know the sun is a girl?” Solara asked, curiosity and caution laced around her words. 

Aranea took measured steps forward, listening to the two chatter back and forth, playfully. 

“Well,” Cindy sat up straight, and Aranea knew the face she was making without seeing it. “I guess maybe yer right. ‘Cause the moon’s a girl, ain’t no doubt.” 

“And no woman in their right mind would make us wait this long to see her again.” Aranea smiled, placing a hand on Solara’s shoulder. 

“Hey!” She chirped, turning enough just to see her. 

“Hey.” Aranea looked over her shoulder at the diner. “I think Dave has something he wants to show you.” 

Solara sighed, before sliding from the rough wooden seat. “Alright. Guess I’ll go find him.” 

They both watched as Solara ran, bare feet hitting the concrete. It wasn’t until her small frame disappeared into the brightly lit dinner that Aranea took a seat where Solara had just been. 

“Ya know.” Cindy shifted, giving Aranea only the faintest of side glances. “That girl could use a good pair a’ shoes.” 

The laugh slipped from her lips before Aranea knew to stop it. “Be my guest; trying to get that girl into shoes.” 

Cindy responded in turn with her own laugh, filling the normally cold air with something akin to what had once happened here years in the past. “She don’t like ‘em, I’m guessing?”

“Nope. She said they hurt her feet.” There was a moment of understanding that passed between the two of them as they looked off into the void. 

“You know.” Aranea said finally as she turned to look at the woman next to her. “Solara really likes you. She doesn’t like anyone else here the way she likes you.” Aranea could feel a strange heat creeping up her neck and over the tips of her ears. 

“I noticed.” Cindy hummed, her lips twitching upward only slightly. 

“I’m glad.” Aranea felt the heat spread from ears to her cheek bone, raising the temperature of her body 

The small smirk that almost was blossomed across Cindy’s face as she looked deep into Aranea’s eyes. They leaned in towards each other, the noise of nothingness fading away like a curtain being pulled around them. Privacy in the night. 

It came as a surprise when their lips brushed over each other gently. It was also a surprise when, as they separated, Aranea saw that Cindy too was blushing. 

“I’m glad ya came back, ya know.” 

~~~~

“I’ve finally got Gladio to agree to going into Insomnia to look for some things we’re getting desperate for.” Aranea spoke quietly as they sat in their bed in Cid’s garage. Well, it was Cindy’s garage now. It was only last week that Cid had packed up and gone to Lestallum where he could be safe. There had been a small breach in the perimeter and a gang of imps had destroyed some of their supplies before the hunters and Aranea had eliminated them. That had been when they had decided it wasn’t safe for Cid, any longer. 

“When ya headin’ out?” Cindy was playing with a small object in her hand, what looked like a bottle cap from when the sun had lived high in the sky. 

“There’s a small team heading here, starting tomorrow. We leave the day after they arrive.” Aranea let her fingers run through Solara’s hair, the girl sleeping calmly right between them. “It won’t be a long trip if everything goes as planned. According to our information, there has been very little foot traffic through the city since its fall, which means we should be able to get a good haul.”

Aranea yawned, feeling the warmth of the blankets pulling her under. “The only problem being: it seems to be an epicenter for daemon traffic. Not like Gralea but, still, something is going down in that city.” 

“You promise ta be careful.” Cindy’s voice was laced with sleep as she reached out and grabbed Aranea’s hand. 

“I’ve got a lot of reasons to come back in one piece.” Aranea could feel the dream world calling her as she fought to stay awake. It had become a lot easier to sleep when it wasn’t normally nightmares that greeted her. 

“Not a bump er scratch more than ya left with.” 

“I don’t think I can promise that.” Aranea laughed as the last bit of her consciousness faded away. But she’d do her best to try. She had a lot to come back for, now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed this fic and as it was written entirely in the COVID pandemic, it was very fitting. Even in the darkest of times, there is always a place for the light to shine through. 
> 
> Walk tall, my friends. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope to see you in my comments...
> 
> You guys ... are the best ...

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy! I appreciate all Kudos and respond to all comments ^.^ 
> 
> Oh, and a fun note, HammerHigh is the ship name for Cindy/Aranea (or I really really think it should be lol)


End file.
